South Africa, Egypt, and Morocco lead the African citrus industry.

Thanks to a diverse range of varieties and a mature export system, South Africa's export volume is expected to reach 3.05 million tons in the 2024-25 season, a year-on-year increase of 22%. Egypt, with an annual production of about 4.2 million tons, remains among the global leaders, but its export volume has decreased by about 12% year-on-year. Morocco's citrus production is expected to be around 2.1 million tons this year, a year-on-year increase of over 10%, with 1.1 million tons of tangerines and oranges and 960,000 tons of oranges, and its export volume is expected to remain between 580,000 and 600,000 tons, mainly sold to the EU market. However, the citrus industry in these three countries is full of challenges. Morocco is experiencing persistent drought, leading to a decline in fruit size in some production areas, limiting product quality; Egypt's currency depreciation has improved price competitiveness but significantly increased production costs; South Africa faces high logistics costs due to long-distance transportation and tariff barriers for exports to the United States. Analysts point out that the African citrus industry is at a critical stage of transitioning from scale expansion to quality improvement. To maintain competitive advantages, these countries need to strengthen water-saving irrigation and farm modernization, update aging orchards, improve cold chain logistics and packaging standards, and explore emerging markets in Asia, the Middle East, and other regions.